Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant opens campaign account for governor's race

The newly minted lieutenant governor spoke to about 100 people on Monday during the Anderson County Republican Party's monthly meeting at Concord Community Church in Anderson.
Kirk Brown/Independent Mail

Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant took a tangible step Wednesday toward running for governor, though the Anderson Republican insisted he has not decided whether to enter the race.

Bryant, 50, opened a bank account for a potential gubernatorial campaign that would enable him to begin accepting contributions.

He said he opened the account based on advice from the State Ethics Commission. He said the commission told him that he meets the definition of an "exploratory candidate."

In the months since he took office as lieutenant governor, Bryant has traveled extensively throughout the state. He spoke at nine Republican county conventions and the state GOP convention, as well as attending this month's South Carolina Sheriff's Association conference in Myrtle Beach. Bryant also has preached at several churches, including a July 2 appearance at a Baptist church in Moore.

Bryant, a pharmacist known for his conservative political views, has said supporters have been encouraging him for months to run for governor in 2018. He said Wednesday he will make a final decision about his candidacy within a few weeks.

If he decides to run, Bryant will have substantial fundraising ground to make up with the two Republicans who now are viewed as the front-runners in the race.

Gov. Henry McMaster has almost $1.5 million in campaign cash on hand, according to a July 10 state financial disclosure. Catherine Templeton, the former director of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, has about $1.3 million in campaign cash on hand.

Bryant filed a disclosure report earlier this month listing $100,824 in campaign contributions during the past three months. About $40,000 of that total was transferred from his former state Senate campaign account to a lieutenant governor's account that he created earlier this year. The rest of the money came from newly received donations, he said. Bryant's report said he had $94,529 in campaign cash on hand.

Former Lt. Gov. Yancey McGill is the other Republican who already has opened a campaign account for the governor's post. His latest disclosure report stated he had about $12,000 in campaign cash on hand.

State Sen. Tom Davis, a Republican from Beaufort County, also is mulling a run for governor. During a visit to Pickens County in June, Davis said he will decide by Labor Day whether to run.

No Democrats have entered the 2018 governor's race at this point.

Bryant is the only prospective candidate for governor from the state's conservative-leaning Upstate region.

Dan Harvell, who represents Anderson County on the South Carolina Republican Party's state executive committee, said he thinks Bryant "will do pretty well" if he decides to run for governor.

"He has a voting record that is largely in line with what the conservative Upstate wants," Harvell said.

Bryant became lieutenant governor shortly after starting his fourth Senate term in January. Bryant filled the post vacated by McMaster when he replaced former Gov. Nikki Haley, who became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.